Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

#1 A society is nothing more than the sum of its institutions, and we are trying to change too many Afghan institutions at once. Also, we need to give the locals a compelling reason to change -- say, for example, watching their neighbors get rich pursuing legal activities. I like the literacy requirement for serving in the army. Illiteracy can be an insuperable barrier to new ideas (ask any kid from a US inner city). Still think they need to legalize the drug trade. We can't even win that fight in the West.